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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BULLETIN 

Issued Weekly 
Vol. XV FEBRUARY i8, 1918 No. 25 

[Entered as second-class matter December 11, 1912, at the post office at Urbana, Illinois, 
under the Act of August 24, 1912.] 



THE WAR GARDEN 



By 

J. W. LLOYD 

Professor of Olericulture 




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PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 

Under the Direction of the War Committee 

URBANA 



"The proportion of our national diet in vegetables is very low, and 
it will not only do no harm to increase it, but in fact will contribute to 
public health." — Herbert Hoover. 



Monog^raph 



OBJECTS OF THE WAR GARDEN 

1. To enaljle the family to produce a supply of vegetables which 
may be substituted in part for cereals and meats. 

2. To grow food supplies at home and thus relieve transporta- 
tion facilities. 

Our Army and our Allies need the concentrated foods that can 
readily be transported ; and the transportation facilities are needed 
to carry war supplies. The free use of home-grown vegetables will 
aid materially in both these matters. 

WHAT TO PLANT IN A WAR GARDEN 

1. Vegetables of high food value, (a) Vegetables rich in 
protein (meat-savers) : Dry beans, fresh Lima beans, green peas, 
(b) Vegetables rich in carbohydrates (substitutes for other food? 
rich in starch or sugar) : Potatoes, beans, sweet corn, peas, parsnips, 
beets, carrots, onions. 

2. Vegetables suitable for canning : Sweet com, tomatoes, 
string beans, peas — staple canned goods of the market ; easily pro- 
duced at home. If cans are scarce the corn may be dried. 

3. Vegetables that may be stored fresh : Potatoes, beets, car- 
rots, parsnips, onions. Production and storage at home save trans- 
portation. 

4. Vegetables for summer use: In addition to the sorts men- 
tioned above, plant lettuce, spinach, turnips, and early cabbage. 
Confine your efforts to staple products ; do not experiment with 
vegetables difficult to grow in your locality. 

HOW MUCH TO PLANT 

For the winter supply, plant enough to have one quart of canned 
vegetables to five persons every day, for seven months. This would 
mean approximately 210 quarts. In addition to the canned vegeta- 
bles, those stored for winter use should include, for a family of five, 
approximately fifteen bushels of potatoes, five bushels of root crops 
(parsnips, carrots, beets), and three bushels of onions. A half- 
bushel of dry beans should also be grown if the locality is well 
adapted to this crop and facilities for threshing are available. 

D. of D. 
JUN 5 1918 



The following table gives the amounts of seed and land required, 
under normal Illinois conditions and good care, to produce the 
quantities of food materials mentioned above. 



Sweet corn . 
Tomatoes .... 
String beans 

Peas 

Potatoes 

Beets 

Carrots 

Parsnips 

Onions 

Dry beans 



Amount of 
seed 



I pt. 

plants 

1 pt. 
3 Pts. 
I V2 bu. 
I oz. 
I oz. 

1 oz. 

2 oz. 
2 qts. 



Area of land 



1500 sq. ft. 

800 sq. ft. 

300 sq. ft. 
1200 sq. ft. 
3600 sq. ft. 

100 sq. ft. 

150 sq. ft. 

150 sq. ft. 

400 sq. ft. 
1200 sq. ft. 



Product 



40 doz. 
6 bu. 

2 bu. 

3 bu. 
15 bu. 

^ bu. 
bu. 
bu. 
bu. 
bu. 



Prod, after 
processing 



60 qts. 

100 qts. 

30 qts. 

20 qts. 



Lima beans may be advantageously substituted for part of the 
corn. The total area of land indicated is 9,400 square feet — equi- 
valent to a town lot 66 by approximately 142 feet. For growing a 
supply of vegetables for summer use, about 50 percent additional 
seed and space would be required. 

WHAT TO DO AND HOW 

1. Prepare the soil tlioroiighly before planting. If manure 
can be obtained, apply it before plowing. Plow as early as the soil 
is in suitable condition for working. Disk and harrow until the 
surface is thoroughly pulverized. Use steamed bone meal and dried 
blood for fertilizer if manure cannot be obtained. Mix these 
materials with the surface soil by harrowing. Finish the preparation 
of the seed bed for small seeds by planking or hand-raking. 

2. Plant good seed. Seed is scarce this year ; order early. 

3. Plant carefully. Don't waste any seed. Plant small seeds 
shallow and large seeds more deeply. Firm the soil well over the 
seeds after covering. 

4. Plant at the proper distances. Allow enough space between 
rows for tillage and for full development of the plants. Corn needs 
more space than carrots. 

5. Plant at the right time. Potatoes, peas, beets, carrots, 
parsnips, and onions should be planted early — as early as the grovmd 
can be worked in spring. The planting of beans, corn, and tomatoes 
must be deferred until the weather is warm. 




000 928 494 

6. Take good care of the growing crops. Cultivate iicqucimy. 

Weed and thin where necesSary. Protect from attacks of insects 
and funffous diseases. 




GET MORE INFORMATION 

Get Circular No. 198, on Home V^egetable Gardening, from 
the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, Urbana, Illinois ; 
and the following publications from the United States Department 
of Agriculture, Washington. D. C. : Farmers' Bulletin ^18, The 
Small Vegetable Garden ; Farmers' Bulletin 853, Home Canning of 
Fruits and Vegetables ; Farmers' Bulletin 879, Home Storage of 
Vegetables. 

WHAT TO DO NOW 

1. Select your garden site. 

2. Plan your garden, 

3. Order your seeds. 

4. Read gardening literature. 



-Z- ?^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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Hollinaftr Corn. 



